An Environmental Engagement with Theatre and Life: An Interview with Richard Rose

Abstract

Swiftly upon graduating from York University, Richard Rose founded Necessary Angel Theatre Company in 1978. Under his energetic and ambitious direction, the company developed and produced many original works, including notable adaptations of novels, environmentally staged in locations around Toronto. In 1983, Rose directed Censored in St. Paul’s church, based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s A Cabal of Hypocrites; in 1989, he staged Michael Ondaatje’s Coming through Slaughter at the Silver Dollar bar. In 2002, Rose left Necessary Angel to become artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, an institution with an established history of new-play development, thanks to his predecessor, Urjo Kareda. Rose was the best candidate to replace Kareda because his vision as a director came from his dramaturgical insight into the development of new work using unique forms of text, music, character and space. Arguably, Rose’s best work at the Tarragon or at the Stratford Festival, where he regularly directs, comes from his sensuous and intelligent engagement with environments. In the following interview, he discusses the dramaturgical dimension of environment in his directing; in particular, he addresses Necessary Angel’s two most successful environmental productions, Tamara and Newhouse, and the effect these works have had on his approach to theatre.